Old Ancestor's Peak!

Zhang Tianzheng felt his entire body tremble, followed by a tingling, numbing ache that surged from the depths of his marrow.

"Mmph!"

He let out a muffled groan, and his aura exploded outward in an instant.

The spiritual power he had deliberately suppressed to conserve his lifespan, now stimulated by the vast vitality, erupted like a volcano shooting into the sky.

The restrictions within the cave mansion were triggered instantly, emitting a piercing hum.

The light screen flickered violently, nearly bursting apart from the pressure.

Zhang Chen had prepared for this and quickly retreated to a corner of the cave mansion, activating his own defensive barrier, his gaze fixed tightly on the old ancestor at the center of the storm.

Zhang Tianzheng's skin, once withered like tree bark, was now visibly turning rosy and supple. The deep, ravine-like wrinkles on his face seemed to be gently smoothed away by an invisible hand.

Most astonishing of all was his hair.

His originally sparse, dry white hair was now growing wildly, and rapidly turning black from the roots.

In the blink of an eye, a thick, jet-black mane cascaded over his shoulders, gleaming with a healthy luster.

Crackle—

A series of bone-snapping sounds rang out.

Zhang Tianzheng's frame, once stooped with age, straightened once more.

His muscles swelled, his bones reshaped, and the dense deathly aura was forcibly expelled from his body by the surging new vitality, dissipating into the air as wisps of black smoke.

But this was not the end.

The medicinal power of the Longevity Pill was simply too immense. After repairing his physical body, the remaining energy began to assault the bottleneck in his cultivation that had stagnated for over a hundred years.

Zhang Tianzheng had suffered old injuries in his early years, leaving his Nascent Soul flawed. He had always believed he would be stuck at Nascent Soul Early Stage for life.

But now, nourished by that vast vitality, his once-withered Nascent Soul was revitalized, becoming crystalline and translucent.

The originally unbreakable bottleneck, scoured by this force, actually showed a hint of loosening!

"Break for me!"

Zhang Tianzheng, struck by a flash of insight, let out a long roar.

Boom!

A powerful aura swept across the entire area.

Though he did not directly break through to Nascent Soul Middle Stage, he had one foot through the door!

He was now at the peak of Nascent Soul Early Stage—and at the prime of his life!

The light gradually faded.

The cave mansion returned to calm.

The old man on the verge of death was gone.

In his place stood a middle-aged man who appeared to be only around forty.

His face was resolute, with sword-like brows and starry eyes, his black hair like ink casually draped behind him.

The muscles of his upper body were sharply defined, brimming with strength.

If not for the traces of time's vicissitudes in his eyes, who would believe this was the Zhang Family Old Ancestor, centuries old?

Zhang Tianzheng slowly lowered his head, looking at his own hands—now strong and fair again—and feeling the surging vitality within him like a vast ocean.

He waved his hand in disbelief, and a water mirror materialized out of thin air.

Staring at the young face in the mirror—both familiar and strange—this hardened man, who had never frowned even when besieged by the Demonic Path, now wept with aged tears.

"I... have returned."

He trembled as he touched his own cheek. The real sensation told him this was not a dream.

He had truly returned to his peak!

Not only that, he could clearly sense that his flame of life was blazing with terrifying intensity.

A full two hundred years of lifespan!

Two hundred years!

As long as he remained at the peak of Nascent Soul Early Stage, as long as he guarded the Zhang Family, even if the Demonic Path launched a full-scale invasion, he would dare to knock out a few of their teeth!

Moreover, with this two-hundred-year buffer and the lingering effects of the pill's power, he was fully confident of breaking through to Nascent Soul Middle Stage within ten years!

Once he became a Great Cultivator of the Middle Stage, who in the East Mountain Islands of the Southern Domain would dare to underestimate the Zhang Family?

"Congratulations, Old Ancestor, on being reborn and climbing the Great Path once more!"

In the corner, Zhang Chen withdrew the defensive barrier and cupped his hands with a smile in congratulations.

Zhang Tianzheng turned around, looking at the young man before him.

His gaze had completely changed now—no longer just looking at a junior, but more like seeing the future hope of the Zhang Family, even an equal... a benefactor.

He took a single step and instantly appeared before Zhang Chen.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Tianzheng reached out his large hand and heavily patted Zhang Chen on the shoulder.

"Chen'er."

Zhang Tianzheng's voice trembled slightly, yet it was firm beyond measure: "You didn't just save your Great-Grandfather's life—you saved the entire Zhang Family's life!"

"The Wang Family? Hmph!"

A flicker of killing intent flashed in Zhang Tianzheng's eyes, and the corner of his mouth curled into the fierce grin of a true powerhouse: "That little brat Wang Lie thinks he's something now, doesn't he? Testing whether this old man is dead or alive?"

"Tomorrow... no, right now!"

"I'll let him know what it means when Old Ginger is Spicier!"

Zhang Chen felt the force on his shoulder and watched the Old Ancestor's spirited, murderous demeanor. The heavy stone in his heart finally settled completely.

It was solid.

This tiger skin had finally stiffened up again.

"Old Ancestor, hold on." Zhang Chen smiled and stopped the Old Ancestor, who was about to charge out and pick a fight: "Going now would certainly catch them off guard, but that would be letting them off too easy."